DEFENDER is the Army’s largest annual opportunity to exercise moving personnel and equipment into theater across modes for initial and follow-on operations critical to Large Scale Combat Operations. Led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the exercise focuses on the strategic deployment of CONUS-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stock and follow-on exercises demonstrating lethality and interoperability with Allies and partners

DEFENDER 25 Outreach tour
DEFENDER 25 Infographic

Videos
Video by Pvt. Madison Blosch, Pfc. Dariel J. Cortes, Spc. Hunter Grice, Sgt. Eric Kestner, Spc. Kelsey Kollar, Sgt. Xavier Legarreta, Cpl. David Poleski, Staff Sgt. Mauricio Quezada
PACIFIC FORTITUDE (without 8th Army outro)
8th Army
Aug. 19, 2024 | 6:05
U.S. Army Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, are participating in an emergency readiness exercise that tests their rapid deployment capabilities from Fort Bliss, Texas to South Korea. This deployment readiness exercise is in support of Pacific Fortitude, which supports long-standing agreements to the Republic of Korea by deploying forces, drawing and transporting equipment to validate unit readiness and the U.S. commitment to the ROK-US alliance.The rapid deployment exercise is a standard, routine readiness validation where a U.S. Army unit is tested on its ability to rapidly deploy personnel successfully to a given environment, conduct training and redeploy back to their home station. This exercise also tests the swift deployment and decisive utilization of vehicles and equipment already present on the Korean peninsula. Army Prepositioned Stock-4 or APS-4 are strategically placed caches of warfighting equipment in Korea and Japan that serve as a critical component of the U.S. Army’s ability to rapidly project combat power throughout the INDO-PACIFIC. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Eric Kestner, Sgt. Xavier Legarreta, Spc. Kelsey Kollar, Pfc. Dariel J. Cortes, Pv2. Madison Blosch)
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What is happening where?

Redirecting...
  • Swift Response

    FinlandItalyLatviaLithuaniaNorwaySwedenSlovenia

  • Immediate Response

    AlbaniaBulgariaCroatiaGreeceKosovoMontenegroNorth MacedoniaSlovakia

  • Saber Guardian

    CzechiaGermanyHungaryRomaniaSlovakia

Press Information

enlightenedTo find information about filing a claim related to exercise DEFENDER activities, visit Claims Information and select your country.